Event Summary

High winds developed rapidly in an unstable air mass following the passage of a strong cold front across the area. Several measured peak wind gusts were at least 58 mph. They were responsible for causing 1 death and at least 6 injuries, as follows: At 9:30 am, a street sign struck and injured 2 pedestrians in Kings County (Brooklyn). At 9:40 am, a sign struck and injured 1 person in Flatbush (Brooklyn) and a tree fell on and injured 1 person in Great Neck (Nassau County). High winds downed many trees onto houses, cars, power lines, and streets. In urban areas, high winds downed signs, collapsed scaffolds, and caused five partial building collapses. They caused significant property damage and power outages. On the Throgs Neck Bridge in Queens, 2 tractor trailers flipped with unknown additional injuries. In Brooklyn, high winds combined with high astronomical tides drove water from New York Harbor over retaining walls that flooded parts of the Belt Parkway near the Verrazano Bridge. Here are selected specific peak wind gusts for: Queens County - Peak wind gusts measured by the Automated Surface Observing System at JFK Airport was 60 mph at 9:46 am and at LaGuardia Airport was 54 mph at 8:59 am.